ANKARA HESITANTLY ACKNOWLEDGES NEGOTIATIONS TO GET RID OF S-400
The government has started to admit that it is seeking a way to rid itself of the S-400 missiles it bought from Russia.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
TEN YEARS ON, JULY 15 IS STILL AN OPEN FILE
Ten years after tanks rolled onto the Bosphorus Bridge and F-16s bombed parliament, Turkey marks the anniversary of the failed July 15 coup attempt with a holiday named 'Democracy and National Unity Day' — in a country more polarized, less democratic and no closer to answering the fundamental questions of that night than it was a decade ago.
OUT OF THE F-35 BECAUSE OF PUTIN — BACK IN BECAUSE OF PUTIN?
Turkey was kicked out of the F-35 joint production program because of Russia during Trump’s presidency; can it be taken back because of Russia yet again during Trump’s presidency?
AL-SHARAA RETURNS HAPPIER AFTER PROMISE TO REMOVE SANCTIONS ON SYRIA
The US has started the process of removing Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, which it has held since 1979 — a win for Turkey and for visiting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
COMPLIMENTS THAT CHILL ANKARA: TRUMP ON BRUNSON AND IRAN
Paying an official visit to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO Summit and signaling movement on the F-35 and the Kaan's F110 engines, US President Donald Trump also touched on two subjects that sent a chill through Ankara: the release of American Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey's stance in the US-Israeli war against Iran. Meant as praise, both stories cut deeper than they flattered.
GLOBAL INDEX PROVIDERS PUT TURKISH MARKET ON NOTICE, STOKING DOWNGRADE FEARS
Foreign investors' confidence in Turkish equities is under mounting pressure as two of the world's leading index providers signaled Istanbul's stock market could face a downgrade. Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) issued another warning regarding investment accessibility and shareholder transparency, announcing it may re-evaluate free-float structures on a company-by-company basis and reclassify certain shareholders as 'non-free float' to address distorted calculations driven by coordinated fund actions.
EDUCATION MINISTER SPARKS ROW OVER INDEPENDENCE AND OTTOMAN LEGACY
Education Minister Yusuf Tekin, no stranger to controversy, has provoked a backlash after announcing a change to the newly updated national school curriculum that renames the War of Independence.
MEDIA FIGURES SPEAK OUT ABOUT POLICE MISCONDUCT
Reports of police mistreatment and physical abuse during police detention are rising, as figures, such as journalists and comedians after detentions or arrests speak louder.
KURTULMUŞ: DISARMAMENT LAW TO PASS BEFORE END OF SUMMER
Legislation designed to ensure the surrender of thousands of armed Kurdish militants will be passed before the end of the summer as the government tries to push the high-tension disarmament process over the line, according to remarks from Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.
COURT ENDS FIRST İMAMOĞLU TRIAL SESSION WITHOUT HIS DEFENSE
The four-month-long first session of the Istanbul Municipality trial ended on July 8 without the testimony of its main defendant: Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul mayor and ousted CHP administration's presidential candidate, who is accused of being the leader of an alleged criminal organization.
ANKARA AWAITS POST-NATO POLITICAL STORM
Turkey's political agenda is expected to pivot sharply from diplomacy to domestic maneuvering as post-NATO scenarios dominate the discussion from July 9 onward. The conclusion of the NATO Ankara Summit, widely seen as an international success for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally, has triggered intense political speculation amid increasing pressure on dissidents.
ŞATAFAT / POMP
The word of the week is şatafat, and Ankara supplied the visual aid. At the NATO summit, Turkey received its guests with the full vocabulary of Erdoğan-era grandeur: mehter music, ceremonial guards, a turquoise carpet that seemed designed less for walking than for being recorded, and the Erdoğan couple standing before the vast Presidential Complex, its doors polished to a shine usually reserved for furniture showrooms. There was also the choreography.